Spring clip attachments for clothespins



June 8, 1943. L. H. PENLEY SPRING CLIP ATTACHMENTS FOR CLOTHESPINS Filed Aug; 17, 1942 H i m. H m T S E L HTTORNEVS' Patented June 8, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENTops-mgseams CLIP ATTAon a'i 'rs FQB;

' cLo'rHEsrINs LesterH. Penley, West Paris,

Application August 17, 1942; sriainei' issiosa 4 claims. (c1; 24';--1=37) My present invention relates to improvements in clothespins or clips of the type having spring clips by which the clothespins or clips are attached to the clothesline.

In my Letters Patent No. 1,683,049, dated September 4, 1928, I have shown a clothes clip, one jaw of which has a shoulder defining a recess to receive the clothesline when the clothes clip is supported thereon. The shouldered jaw carries a spring defining with the shouldered portion a resilient clip to permit the clothes clip to be supported by or removed therefrom.

Such pins have been well received because they ensure the positive support of the clothes out of contact with the clothesline. Clotheslines frequently are dirty with the result that the clothes suspended therefrom become soiled.

One objection to this type of support for the clothes is that the clothes clips could not be anchored securely to the clothesline to prevent their movement along the clothesline due to the weight of the clothes and the sag of the loaded clothesline.

' While I recognized in my above mentioned patent the fact that longitudinal movement of the clothes clips along the clothesline should be prevented, the means provided were not sufficiently efiective to accomplish that with the result that the failure of the resilient clip to anchor the clothes clip to the clothesline has been an objection limiting the wider acceptance of this type of support for the clothes on a clothesline.

In accordance with my present invention, I provide a spring from a strip of metal that, when attached to a clothespin or clip having a shouldered portion defining a recess for the clothesline, establishes a resilient clip firmly anchoring the clothespin or clip to the clothesline. I accomplish this result by forming that portion of the spring that overlies the shoulder and the recess and resiliently engages the clothesline with its margins inwardly disposed to establish braced edges to embed in the clothesline.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown an illustrative embodiment of my invention from which these and other features of my invention will be readily apparent.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a clothes clip embodying a spring clip in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section through the springv clip.

Fig. 3 shows the spring clip in elevation, and

Fig. 4 is a section through the spring clip along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, I have shown as illustrative of the l' ype of clothespins or clipswith which my present invention is to be used, a clothes clip comprising a pair of jaws I and 2 having material gripping ends 3. The jaws I and 2 are connected by a coiled spring 4 having its ends 5 and ii anchored to the jaws I and 2 respectively intermediate their ends 3 and the fulcrum defined by the spring 4 to urge the gripping ends 3 of the jaws towards each other.

The upper end of one of the jaws is formed with a shoulder 1 establishing a recess 8 to receive and be engaged by a clothesline to permit the clothes clip to be supported thereonr At v9, I have indicated generally a spring of thin fiat stock in accordance with my present invention. The spring 9 is U-shaped to straddle the end of the shouldered jaw which is channelled as at III' to seat it and to define first and second portions II and I2 engageable with oppositely disposed jaw surfaces.

The spring portion I I lies against the jaw surface and terminates in a pair of anchoring prongs I3. disposed to penetrate into the wood to connect the spring securely to the clothes clip.

The spring portion I2 is shaped as at It to overlie the shoulder I and the recess 8 to establish a resilient clip to receive and resiliently engage the clothesline. The thus established clip is yieldable and to facilitate the entrance of the clothesline into the recess 8, the springportion I2 terminates in an outwardly disposed end I5. Preferably, the portion I2 is shaped as at I 6 to engage with the adjacent jaw surface at a point above the end of the portion I I.

In order to securely anchor the clothes clip to the clothes line, I form, as by crimping, the portion I 4 of the spring 9 that is to resiliently engage the clothesline with inwardly directed braced edges I'I disposed to embed themselves into the clothesline to anchor the clothes clip securely in place.

In accordance with my present invention, I am, therefore, able to provide a very effective spring clip by which the clothes clips or pins may be securely and easily anchored to the clothesline.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

V 1. A spring for attachment to a clothespin or clip, a portion of which has a shoulder defining a recess to receive the clothesline when the clothespin is supported thereon, said spring being formed of thin fiat stock to establish a U-shaped portion to straddle said portion above said shoulder, and a second portion to overlie the shoulder and said recess and to define with said portion below said shoulder a resilient closure yieldable to permit the clothesline to pass between it and said portion when the clothespin is to be supported on the clothesline or removed therefrom, the margins of said portion defining said resilient closure being disposed towards said recess to define braced edges to embed in the clothesline to anchor the clothespin against, movement along the clothesline.

2. The spring of claim 1 in which the braced edges are defined by a crimp.

3. A spring for attachment to a clothes clip of the type having two jaws, one of which has a shoulder defining a recess to receive the clothesline when the clothes clip is supported thereon, said spring being U-shaped and formed of thin flat stock to fit over the upper end of the shouldered jaw and to establish first and second por tions each engageable with oppositely disposed jaw surfaces; the first spring portion including at its extremity a pair of prongs disposed to be embedded in the jaw and the second spring portion having an outwardly bent end and being shaped intermediate its ends to overlie the shoulder and to engage the jaw below the recess to establish a resilient clip yieldable to permit the clothesline to pass between it and the jaw when the clothes clip is to be supported on the clothesline or removed therefrom, said second spring portion resiliently engaging the clothesline and the marginal portions of said second spring portion being disposed towards said first spring portion to define braced edges to embed in the clothesline to anchor the clothes clip against movement along the clothesline.

4. The spring of claim 3 in which the prongs of the first portion are located below the zone of engagement of the second portion and the LESTER H. PENLEY. 

